


A Wilted Flower

by Osaka_Prince_Yuta



Series: NCT One Shots [8]
Category: NCT (Band), NCT Dream
Genre: Alternate Ending, Angst, Anxiety, Character Death, Depression, Eating Disorders, M/M, Requested, Slight fluff, bottom!jeno, non Canon, top!jaemin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:00:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26601040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Osaka_Prince_Yuta/pseuds/Osaka_Prince_Yuta
Summary: Jaemin wasn't expecting to find the love of his life while stopping to get flowers for his dying mother, but that's exactly what happened. Only problem is, Jaemin doesn't realize the peril that Jeno's life is in until it's too late.
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Series: NCT One Shots [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1565092
Kudos: 31





	A Wilted Flower

**Author's Note:**

> This story was requested on NCT Amino by, Hana. This story has also been published on the amino. This story has been beta read. 
> 
> Please read the tags before reading, this fic contains triggering topics.
> 
> Please note that there are two endings to this fic. The first ending is negative, but is the original ending, however, as per request, I added an alternate ending. If you do not want to read the "bad" ending, please scroll down after the ambulance ride to where it says "Alternative Ending."
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Marigolds and lilacs sprouted from window boxes, dangling their soft pedals onto the cobblestone streets. Their buds reached for the sky, eager to please their caretaker as their heads glowed with an array of colors that may have seemed odd at first glance, but upon further inspection, had the power to captivate even the stubbornest mind. Such was their owner's power. 

Their owner, Lee Jeno, was a simple kind of man with cheeks that gleamed rose if a compliment fell from someone’s lips. He was tall and lanky, limbs long and strong, although they made him a little clumsy. His hair was cut short in a way that made it look fluffy and soft. His eyes were the kindest shade of brown. He was beautiful, and perhaps it was this reason that Na Jaemin fell in love with him the first time he saw him. 

Jaemin’s feet had been lured away from his mother’s hospital bed by her command that he, at least, get lunch, so with a handkerchief swipe to his eyes, he left the building of sickness and made his way blindly down a nearby street, known for streetside food vendors and gift shops. Being in a bit of a rush to get back to his mother, he hurried down the street searching for the first food place that looked even the slightest bit appealing. However, he was stopped dead in his tracks as soon as his emotional eyes fell on the marigolds and lilacs sprouting beautifully in boxes outside a cozy stone-built flower shop with flowers popping out of every open window. 

It wasn’t a question for Jaemin after that. His mother’s favorite flowers were marigolds, but it was so hard to find a flower shop that appreciated them too. 

The wooden door to the small little shop was standing wide open, a green water hose snaking in through the entrance, leaving droplets of water nearby. Jaemin followed the path it lead straight through the door and to the most beautiful man he had ever seen in his entire life. A man that stole his breath away the second he saw him. 

Sensing someone else’s presence, the man turned around and gave Jaemin a wide smile, eyes disappearing into crescent moons. 

“Welcome to Jeno’s! How can I help you?” he asked. 

His voice rang in Jaemin’s mind like a song he wouldn’t mind listening to for the rest of his life. His smile was so addictive that Jaemin couldn’t help but smile back. 

“Hi, I’m Jaemin.”

A cheesy pickup line just seemed too good to use on this male. None would do him justice. They’d all simply be a disgrace falling on the beautiful pair of ears. 

“Hello Jaemin! If you hadn’t guessed, I’m Jeno! What can I help you with today?” 

Such a simple response almost had Jaemin’s knees buckling. 

“I… um…” he stammered awkwardly before clearing his throat and taking a deep breath. “I’d like to get a bouquet of marigolds for my mother… and maybe to take you out for lunch,” he finally let out. 

He had never been this nervous or awkward when talking to anyone else. For some reason, this male just had that effect on him. 

The question seemed to catch Jeno off guard, and Jaemin thought he was about to get turned down by the only person he’d ever met that made his stomach do summersaults. 

Finally, Jeno responded with another wide smile, possibly wider than the one he’d greeted with. 

“Well actually, I’ve just finished eating, but I’d still very much like to join you!”

That answer was all it took to make Jaemin’s head get all fuzzy and bubbly like he’d had three glasses of wine. Perhaps Jeno was his new wine that Jaemin would never want to stop sipping. 

~

The walk to a food vendor was pretty uneventful, save for the fact that Jaemin couldn’t keep his eyes off the gorgeous male that was walking beside him. The soft smile the man always seemed to wear and the clumsily way he stumbled over just about everything was adorable and fun to watch. Specifically how he bowed to everyone they passed that appeared to be some businessman or old couple out for a stroll. However, when they finally made their way to a vendor, Jeno perched in a seat at a table beneath a closed umbrella that Jaemin struggled to open. 

“You don’t have to open it,” Jeno spoke softly after Jaemin let out a few strings of curse words, the effect of one of the mechanisms pinching his finger. 

“I will get this thing to open!” Jaemin responded slightly angrily, his annoyance at the umbrella only growing as the sun faded material hit his cheek. 

He struggled a bit longer, jaw locked into place and eyes glaring daggers into the cloth before his attention was drawn away by one of the most adorable sounds he’d ever heard in his entire life.

Jeno’s sweet laughter. 

He paused in fighting, hands still gripping the mechanics of the umbrella, but now loosely as he turned his gaze to stare at the soft male who’d since drawn his lanky legs to his chest. A smile pulled itself onto his own lips. 

“What?” he asked.

Jeno’s arms came to wrap around his legs and his chin rested upon his knees, making Jaemin desperately want to take a picture of the sight to save as his screensaver. 

“You’re just so desperate to get that umbrella open, it’s cute,” he spoke, voice flowing out gently. 

“Well I can’t have this sweet Flower sitting here getting too much sunlight,” Jaemin answered. 

Pink tinted Jeno’s cheeks immediately and Jaemin had to fight the urge to pull out his phone for a picture. 

Inside, he moved to release the umbrella, deciding it was better to leave it closed than spend his time with Jeno fighting with it, but as soon as his hand twisted slightly to release it, the shaft of the device twisted easily and the umbrella was flying open, shocking both boys into staring wide-eyed at the now proudly opened umbrella. 

“Stupid thing,” Jaemin finally muttered, shaking his head as Jeno just shot him another smile. 

Jaemin swore he could live off Jeno’s smiles. 

“I’m going to grab something to eat now, are you sure I can’t get you anything?” he asked.

Jeno shook his head before pausing. 

“Well, I wouldn’t mind a water,” he answered. 

With a nod, Jaemin walked up to the window of the small food stall or ordered his own food, a simple burger and a milkshake along with Jeno’s water. It didn’t take long for the food to be in his hands, on a tray. He walked carefully back to their table and placed the water in front of the man before taking his own seat. 

“Your water, Flower,” Jaemin spoke, grinning at the fitting nickname that brought pink back to Jeno’s cheeks, 

“Thank you, my Gardener,” Jeno responded, cheeks going even more rosey. 

Jaemin shot him another grin before taking a bite of his burger. As his eyes and attention settled on the food going into his hungry belly, he missed Jeno’s attention shifting away to play with the straw in his cup before taking a sip of water, keeping his eyes glued to the table and not the food entering Jaemin’s mouth. 

“So why haven’t I seen you around here before? The people around here are usually pretty consistent,” Jeno spoke once he’d swallowed the mouthful of water, but his eyes still couldn’t meet Jaemin’s. 

“I’m not usually around here. My mom’s in the hospital,” Jaemin said, voice audibly falling at the mention of his mother. 

Jaemin watched Jeno’s eyes glass over with an apology and a question that was sure to come. Usually, he avoided the pity and questions, they were usually too difficult to answer, but for some reason, despite only knowing the man for a very short amount of time, he felt comfortable confiding in the male. 

“She has breast cancer. She’s been struggling with it for about as long as I can remember, but last week it got really bad,” Jaemin found himself spewing, tears welling up in his eyes. 

Jaemin was very much a mother’s boy. He loved his father, but he had always been closer with his mother. As her only child, he had spent most of his childhood being coddled and cuddled in her arms, given everything he ever needed and most of what he wanted. 

“I’m so sorry Jaemin,” Jeno spoke, and Jaemin could hear the sincerity and heartache in his voice. 

Jaemin gave a watery smile and shook his head lightly. 

“She’ll be ok. This isn’t her first trip to the hospital,” Jaemin added, although he wasn’t sure whether it was meant to reassure Jeno or himself. 

Jeno nodded although Jaemin could still see the way his eyes watered with unshed tears. It made him look even more beautiful than he already was. Jaemin swallowed a lump in his throat, as he trailed his eyes over the males face. Such a gorgeous man. Chocolate brown eyes, hair that fell just a little in his face, broad shoulders with a lean frame. Jaemin’s heart fluttered. 

“I like you Jeno,” he said finally after staring at the male for a while. 

Jeno seemed to jump a little, unsuspecting the sudden change of conversation nor the sudden compliment. He was even cuter when he was confused and blushing. 

“I’d like to take you on a proper date sometime, if you’d let me,” he continued. 

The blush on Jeno’s cheeks spread to his ears. 

“I- really?” he asked, stammering in his nervousness.

“I’ll pick you up Saturday at 6.”

~

Saturday came and went, as did the next two month’s, and before Jaemin knew it, the September evening breeze had him wrapping his windbreaker jacket tighter around his body as he walked down the cobblestone streets. Many people passed him by, most bustling to the nearest food stand for dinner, other’s dressed up for dates. They were appealing, watching them run, each person with a different story to tell, and Jaemin would often find himself mindlessly watching them for hours. Now though, he had a higher priority. 

The door to the flower shop was already closed, the welcoming sign flipped to closed and the main lights turned out. Jaemin paid no attention. It was the same way each day he returned from his own job. He pushed open the door he knew would be unlocked and waiting for him. The familiar bell jingled upon his entrance, jingling harder as he pushed the door closed and slid the lock into place. He turned around once the door was settled and walked slowly through the shop, careful not to trample on flowers Jeno had spent days nourishing back to health in the now warmed greenhouse room. 

He found Jeno in the back of the shop, bringing in hanging baskets filled with purple and green flowers from the opened window, hanging them up on different hooks inside before closing the window. Jaemin didn’t bother announcing himself. Jeno already knew he was there, else he would have called out in a half frightened panic that the shop was closed. Jaemin moved up behind the male, still fumbling with flowers, and wrapped his arms around his waist, pressing a soft kiss to Jeno’s cheek, bringing a delighted smile to Jeno’s face. 

“How was work?” he asked. 

Jaemin scrunched his nose and blew a playful puff of air on Jeno’s neck, making the male shutter in his arms. 

“Long. Those kids don’t listen to a word I say,” Jaemin complained, disdain dripping in his voice. 

“You love them though,” Jeno pointed out. 

It was true, Jaemin did, but he also sometimes wondered what in the world made him get an education degree for secondary school. Teenagers rarely listened, and when they did, they’d spend hours complaining about whatever lesson or homework was given. 

“Well enough about them. How about you and I go get a pizza and watch a movie in your loft,” Jaemin suggested, changing the subject and pressing another kiss to Jeno’s cheek. 

“Oh I’ve already eaten,” Jeno replied. 

Jaemin pursed his lips. Jaemin always came home from school after tutoring at 6, yet Jeno had always eaten. It was curious, but perhaps the male just preferred eating early. 

“One of these days I’m going to catch you before you eat,” Jaemin responded playfully. 

Jeno didn’t respond, instead he pulled out of Jaemin’s arms and hung one of the baskets of flowers up on the rafters. 

“How about you order a pizza and deliver it here. We’ll go upstairs after it gets here to watch that movie,” Jeno suggested. 

Jaemin nodded and moved closer to grab Jeno around the waist lightly. The male squeaked, a small blush blooming to his cheeks as Jaemin leaned close and pressed a soft kiss against his lips. 

“Can I stay the night?” he asked. 

Jeno’s cheeks flamed redder as he nodded and Jaemin kissed him again. 

~

Jaemin’s hand laced through Jeno’s tightly, squeezing the hand his boyfriend had offered him. 

“She’s going to be ok,” Jeno whispered, giving a reassuring squeeze to Jaemin’s hand. 

Jaemin didn’t respond. His body shook in it’s seat, trembling, his free hand wiping at the tears that rolled down his cheeks. 

The moment was inevitable. He knew it was coming one way or another, he just didn’t expect it to be so soon. 

The moment the nurse walked down the hallway and into the waiting room where the two boys sat amongst strangers, all tearful for their loved ones, Jeno nudged Jaemin’s side and Jaemin looked up, hot tears still streaking down his face. 

“The surgery was a success. Your mother is in recovery,” she said kindly. 

A small sob left Jaemin’s lips and Jeno was wrapping his arms around the male. Jaemin buried his face in his boyfriend's neck, basking in the scent of flowers that always seemed to be on his skin. He clung onto Jeno. His mother would live. The surgery a success. The cancer hopefully gone. He’d never been more happy in his life. 

“She’s going to be ok, Jae,” Jeno whispered in his ear. 

That voice. That beautiful voice in his ear on the day he needed it the most. Tears began falling from Jaemin’s eyes all over again, but this time, it wasn’t the surgery, possibly losing his mother, or the success of the surgery that drove this. This was all Jeno. The beautiful flower boy who had completely captured Jaemin’s heart. 

“I love you, Flower” Jaemin whispered against Jeno’s neck through the tears. 

He felt Jeno stiffen. That hadn’t said that to one another yet. He hoped it wasn’t too soon. They’d only known each other for four months. Not usually enough time for two people to fall in love, but for Jaemin, he felt as if he’d been in love with Jeno since the day he’d met him. 

“I love you too,” Jeno whispered back. 

Jaemin took a shuddering breath and opened his mouth to respond when a familiar grunt broke his train of thought. He sighed and slowly loosened his hold on Jeno, letting his arms fall to his sides. Confusion flashed across Jeno’s features, but Jaemin tried not to dwell on it. 

“Hi dad, did you hear?” he asked the male standing at the edge of the waiting room. 

The man had his arms crossed over his chest, his black suit jacket wrinkling around the sleeves. His face was drawn in a tight line somewhere between a grimmance and a glare. 

“I heard. What I didn’t hear was you telling this man that you loved him like a friend.”

The man’s words were deep and harsh. His eyes shot a dirty look toward Jeno and anger welled up in Jaemin’s chest as he saw Jeno crumple beneath the weight of the disapproval. 

“That’s probably because I don’t love him like a friend. I’m in love with him,” Jaemin shot back. 

He could hear gasps around him from random people watching the scene before them like it was some soap opera. 

“Men can’t love men!” the man across the room snarled. 

Jeno sat down in the seat, curling in on himself. Jaemin turned to console him, his first priority being his boyfriend, but as an ajumma moved to sit beside him, pulling the tall male against her, rubbing his shaking shoulders, Jaemin felt eased enough to continue the fight, his blood boiling as he watched those precious shoulders move with the weight of tears. 

“I can love whoever the fuck I want!” Jaemin snapped. 

The eyes of his father narrowed, as if daring Jaemin to repeat himself. Jaemin didn’t care. This man had hurt his Flower. No way was he backing down. 

“You have no right to dictate who I can and can’t love! I’m a grown ass adult! I make my own decisions!” Jaemin continued, voice raising in volume. 

“Your name is NA Jaemin! That’s MY name! I still get a say!” he father yelled. 

Jaemin crossed his arms, copying his father. 

“Then maybe I’ll change it to Lee,” he said. 

The look on the man’s face, a cross between anger and pain satisfied Jaemin enough to end the argument. “Tell mom I’ll come see her tomorrow,” he said, voice lowered. 

He reached down to gently grasp Jeno’s elbow and haul the male up. He didn’t want to disturb him, but at the same time, Jeno was too good to breathe the same air as the homophobic asshole. The ajumma helped him stand and Jaemin shot her a thankful smile before wrapping an arm around Jeno’s waist. Jeno rested his head on Jaemin’s shoulder, tears still streaking his cheeks. Carefully, Jaemin guided him out of the hospital doors, past his still glowering father. 

When the made their way out of the hospital, Jaemin sat Jeno down on a bench and knelt in front of him. 

“He’s an asshole. Don’t mind him,” he said softly. 

Jeno sniffled harshly, trying to bite back his tears but it wasn’t working. 

“He’s your father,” he hiccuped. 

Jaemin placed a hand on Jeno’s knee and rubbed slowly, soothing circles against the denim. 

“I don’t care. If he wants to tell me how I can feel about you, I don’t want to know him,” Jaemin responded. 

Jeno didn’t say anything after that. His hiccups and sniffles continued, but Jaemin stroked along his leg softly until finally, they quieted. 

“There is nothing he can say that will make me love you any less,” he whispered softly. 

This seemed to surprise Jeno enough to make him gape. 

“Really?”

Jaemin nodded, a small smile covering his cheeks. 

“I’m all yours and you are all mine. I will love you forever and if he doesn’t like that, I’ll take your last night and we won’t deal with him anymore,” he spoke. 

The surprise grew even more, and with it, grew a watery smile that made Jaemin’s heart melt on the spot. 

“We’re not married, you can’t have my name,” he laughed. 

“We could get married.”

To this, Jeno’s response was one of immense shock. 

“We’ve only been dating for four months!” he exclaimed. 

“And yet I already know you’re the only person I want to spend the rest of my life with,”Jaemin responded, bringing a cute blush to Jeno’s cheeks. 

Jeno leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against Jaemin’s lips and, for a moment, Jaemin thought he’d just gotten engaged, at least until Jeno broke the kiss. 

“Ask me in a year, and I’ll say yes,” he whispered. 

~

Jaemin wasn’t sure he could wait a year to ask for Jeno’s hand. Every day he struggled not to ask, but he wanted to respect the wishes of his Flower. He knew Jeno wasn’t ready. In truth, Jaemin wasn’t either. Despite the argument in the hospital, Jaemin really did seek his father’s approval. That seemed more and more like a distant thought though. It had been four months and Jaemin’s father still said little to him, which made Jaemin want to be around his parents less and less. If it weren’t for his mother, he likely would have blocked them out completely. 

“Your father will come around,” the voice of a woman spoke as Jaemin sat beside her on the couch. 

“We’re in the middle of March. It’s been over three months since he looked me in the eye!” Jaemin retorted. 

His mother simply let out a sigh and patted Jaemin’s knee. 

“He just needs time to process everything,” she added. 

“To process what? It’s not like telling him I loved Jeno was my coming out to him. Both of you have known I liked guys since I dated that foreign exchange student, Phillipe, in high school.”

“Do you remember how things ended with that boy?” his mother asked, voice still gentle. 

“Yeah… he ended up deciding he was straight and dumping me for some girl in his Chemistry class,” Jaemin responded. 

“Exactly. Your father and I watched you mope around the house for months after he broke your heart. Your father is just afraid it’s going to happen again. He doesn’t know Jeno like I do. I was able to get to know the boy while I was in the hospital. He has a full time job. He doesn’t know Jeno well enough to know that he is completely and utterly in love with you,” his mother answered again. 

Her response made Jaemin gape at her for a moment, memories flashing back through his head. She was right. He’d been a terrified fourteen year old, standing in the living room declaring, through stuttering breaths, that he liked men more than women and that he even had a boyfriend. They both had taken the news surprisingly well. Better than he could have hoped for. Even when he’d brought Phillipe to their house, his parents had been generous hosts and protective parents. Not even allowing the two to go into Jaemin’s room to play video games. 

His mother must have seen the realization flash across his face. 

“Give him some more time and I’ll work on him. In the meantime, are you serious about wanting to marry this boy?” 

Though Jaemin’s mind was reeling, this was one question he could definitely answer. 

“I am certain I want to marry him. I want to spend the rest of my life with him. He is the love of my life and no one else will do. No one makes me feel like he makes me feel, and I know he feels the same.”

The smile that crossed his mother’s face was one full of pure pride and happiness. 

“Then how about you let me handle your father and you start looking for rings,” she said. 

This, again, caught Jaemin off guard for a multitude of reasons, yet he could only express one. 

“But he said he didn’t want me to ask him for a year. A year isn’t until November…”

His mother pursed her lips, almost as if she was about to start scolding him. 

“Do you know how much time it will take to find the perfect ring? The ring that is ideal for him? Then there’s saving for it. Then it’s finding the perfect moment. Son, it will take you until November or longer to get everything ready to propose to him,” she said. 

And she was right. He knew she was. Yet here he was, wasting time. 

“But what if I get everything ready, but dad doesn’t approve?” he asked. 

Despite his threat to change his name, despite actually being convinced he would do it, he couldn’t. He loved his father dearly. Far too much to get married without the man who’d raised him there. 

“He’ll come around when he realizes how serious you two are. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of him,” she answered, and somehow, this put Jaemin at ease. 

~

Burgers and water weren't the most romantic things in the world. Actually, it was probably exactly the opposite, but today, they would be romantic. 

Time had flown faster than Jaemin could comprehend, and before he knew it, it was standing in front of the flower shop, holding two to-go boxes of burgers and two styrofoam cups of waters, on the exact same day he’d walked into the flower shop for the first time. 

The marigolds were the same as they’d been a year ago, alluring enough to draw any passerby in, even if just to admire the beautiful flowers that Jeno put his heart and soul into caring for. The paint had started to fade off the walls of the shop, but somehow, that made the place look even more cozy and appealing. The shop was almost exactly the same as it had been then, except for the few picnic tables Jeno had installed last winter, equipped with umbrella’s like the ones from their first date. Both tables were currently vacant, and the shop sign switched to closed. 

Jaemin placed the trays on the table and pushed open the door to the shop, the little bell ringing to alert his presence. 

“Flower?” he asked into the jungle of blooming buds. 

“I’m upstairs, give me a second,” the voice called from a distance. 

Jeno loved flowers. This was news to no one that walked past the shop. But what most didn’t know was that when Jeno had bought the building, it had two floors. The bottom floor was obviously where all of the flowers were kept. The top floor Jeno had slowly turned into a small little apartment loft that he loved so dearly. Dearly enough to deny all of Jaemin’s attempts at getting him to move into a real apartment where the two could comfortably live together. 

“You don’t have to get dolled up for me, Flower. You’re beautiful enough as it is,” Jaemin called up. 

He couldn’t see his boyfriend, but he knew the male was blushing. He could almost hear it. 

Jaemin waited by the door of the shop, casting glances back at their food to ensure no birds attempted to steal from the trays. When he heard the stairs creak with the weight of a human, his attention was immediately snagged however and he was drawn back to watch as Jeno’s form appeared at the bottom of the staircase. 

Jaemin’s draw dropped. Jeno was wearing a pair of skinny jeans with a few sensible rips in them, paired with a shirt that was much too big, a shirt that came down past the middle of his thigh and hung loosely on his shoulders. His hair had been bleached and was now styled in a fluffy mess of blonde hair on top of his hair. 

Jaemin’s breath caught in his throat. 

“Do you like it?” Jeno asked timidly. 

Jaemin didn’t respond. Instead, he left the door to the shop slam closed, forgetting the food waiting outside. He made his way quickly to Jeno, reaching up to grasp the males waist and shoving him against the wall before planting a firm kiss against his lips. 

“I love it,” he whispered before diving back in for more.

Jaemin carefully tugged the sheets up over both bodies, shielding them both from the cool air of Jeno’s fan. 

“We should go downstairs to eat soon. I’m sure our food is cold by now,” he muttered, wrapping his arms around Jeno’s waist and pulling him closer. 

“I’m not really hungry,” Jeno answered, snuggling his face into Jaemin’s neck. 

“You need to eat something. We just burned a lot of calories,” Jaemin responded. 

Jeno shook his head. 

“I can’t eat. I’m not hungry. I won’t be able to eat anything without feeling sick,” he responded. 

Jaemin gave the male an odd look. 

“Well you’ve got to eat something. Like I said, we just burned through a lot of calories. I know your body isn’t hungry right now after that exertion, but you need to replenish those calories. You’re as thin as a rail already.”

He felt Jeno’s breath on his neck. 

“Can we take a small nap first and then eat?” he requested, voice sounding already lidded with sleep. 

Jaemin’s heart melted. He loved watching Jeno fall asleep. He loved holding him in his arms. Besides, how could he say no when the male was acting so cute. 

“Fine, but when we wake up, we’re both getting some food,” Jaemin said sternly. 

If only he had remembered to hold Jeno to that. 

~

November came around again faster than Jaemin could comprehend. His mother had been right in that regard, but there had still been no such luck on getting his father’s approval. 

It had been a work in progress. At least the man was saying more than a few words to him, but the look of contempt in his eyes whenever he looked at Jaemin threatened to tear him to pieces. 

“Did you get it?” his mother asked, sitting down at the kitchen table with two steaming cups of coffee. 

Jaemin nodded and pulled the compact velvet box out of his back pocket. 

He wasn’t delusional. He knew there wouldn’t be a literal marriage between himself and Jeno. There would be no legal binding. However, the ceremony was still important to Jeno and whether it was accepted and documented by the country or not, he would still classify Jeno as his husband, and that’s all he wanted. 

He placed the velvet box on the table and slowly popped the lid open to show her the stunning diamond ring cut like a rose on a silver band. The diamond was small and sensible. Something he knew Jeno would like. Around it were a few tiny green emeralds that gave the illusion of petals. It was a ring he’d found in one of the last jewelry shops he’d looked in, one on the other side of town that didn’t seem like it would have anything suitable, but Jaemin had taken a chance anyways. After finding the ring, he was quick to start paying on it and within a month, he finally had it sealed away in his pocket, ready for the day he’d get to present it to the male he hoped to soon be planning a wedding with.

“Sweetheart!” his mother gaped. “It’s beautiful! He’s going to love it!” she gushed. 

A small blush tinted Jaemin’s cheeks as he let his mind wander to how Jeno would when he was presented with the ring. Would he blush? Would he cry? Would he jump into Jaemin’s arms with a gleeful shout? Hopefully all of the above. 

“You’re serious about this, aren’t you?” a masculine voice asked. 

Jaemin looked up in shock. He hadn’t realized his father had been home. He also didn’t expect the male to regard him in the soft tone he was now. 

“I am,” he responded, throat going dry. 

He didn’t want to argue. All he wanted was to rush over to the flower shop and propose now, but how could he, knowing the man he looked up to didn’t approve, and would possibly never approve. 

“And he feels the same? He honestly loves you too?” the male asked. 

That was… very unexpected, but Jaemin didn’t hesitate to answer. 

“He does. I know he does,” Jaemin answered. 

He was getting hopeful now. This was as sincere as his father had been in a year on the topic of Jeno. 

“Then go ask for his hand in marriage. But you better promise me that you’ll both take care of each other,” the man spoke, surprising Jaemin so much he was almost speechless. 

He stared up at the man in shock, gaping at him with an open mouth before his mother clapping her hands on the table, startled him from his stupor an he was flying out of his chair. 

“Thank you dad!” he cried, but didn’t stop for a hug. 

He needed to see Jenone now. 

Except… he wasn’t prepared for the sight that met him when he got to the flower shop…

As soon as he walked inside, the shop, he knew something was wrong. There was a group of people surrounding the door, all with worry etched over their faces. Nearby was an ambulance with flashing lights and silenced sirens and, for a moment, Jaemin looked around for any clues as to where Jeno was and who was hurt. That moment halted, however, the second two paramedics walked out rolling a gurney… with Jeno strapped to the bed, his head bleeding and an oxygen mask over his face. 

“Jeno!” Jaemin cried, rushing toward the bed. “Jeno!” he cried again, tears welling in his eyes. 

“Step back sir!” one of the paramedics snapped at him. 

“That’s my boyfriend!” Jaemin cried out, reaching out to grab Jeno’s hand, only to find it ice cold. 

He hissed. How long had his boyfriend been bleeding from his head before someone found him?!

“Sir, I asked you to step back! You’re no help to him keeping him from the hospital!” one of the paramedics yelled. 

This seemed to snap Jaemin out of his stupor enough to jump back and allow the paramedics to load the unconscious male into the ambulance and leave with roaring sirens toward the hospital down the road. 

“What… what happened…” Jaemin mumbled to no one in particular. 

“I came in and found him passed out. It looked like he’d fainted and fallen on a ceramic pot that shattered all over the floor. I have no idea how long he was like that. There was a very scary puddle of blood around him,” one girl responded weakly. 

When Jaemin looked up to find her face, he noted how sick she looked. Seeing all that blood had no doubt frightened her. But he didn’t have much time or energy to worry about that. 

“Thank you for finding him,” he got out before dashing off in the direction the ambulance had taken. 

The hospital wasn’t far from the flower shop. It was how he and Jeno had met a year and a half ago. 

As his feet hit the sidewalk, breath coming out hard and fast, heart racing in anxiety, one thought plagued his mind. 

Why had Jeno fainted in the first place?

“... Anorexia?” Jaemin repeated back, his mouth forming the word, but his brain being unable to process the meaning. 

“It would appear that Mr. Lee has been suffering from anorexia for a very long time. Well over a year at least. He seems to have been eating just enough to get by, but his body was severely deprived of the nutrients it needed. It would appear that lately he’d been eating even less and it resulted in him fainting. Under normal circumstances, giving him an IV with sugar water and a psych consult would have gotten him back to health. However, with the severity of the eating disorder and the head trauma, this is not a normal circumstance,” the doctor explained, standing in front of Jaemin in the waiting room. 

Jaemin’s parents stood on either side of their son, both of their faces etched with worry. 

“What are you saying?” Jaemin sniffled. 

The doctor sighed and placed her hand on Jaemin’s shoulder. “I’m sorry Mr. Na. Your boyfriend didn’t make it.”

Jaemin’s heart shattered like a glass vase suddenly being dropped onto the floor, shattering into a million tiny pieces that would make it impossible to put together again. 

How had he not noticed how sick his boyfriend had been. They’d been together for over a year, and Jaemin had never seen him eat once. How had he not realized?!

His legs buckled and his knees hit the ground as a loud, screaming sob of his boyfriends name left his lips.

_ One Year Later _

“So my students decided to test my patience today and try talking back to me, and as a result, I ended up getting sent home for screaming at them,” Jaemin said as he sat down on the well-kept grass. 

“The school didn’t mind. They know why it happened. It’s sad that I have that leniency though, especially around this time of year,” he continued. 

A tear welled up in his eye. One that he let slide down his cheek without a bother. 

“Happy anniversary, by the way,” he added, another tear falling as he turned his gaze to look at the dark gray gravestone with “Lee Jeno” carved into the stone slab. 

“I brought you your flowers. Lilacs. Your favorites,” he added. 

Lilacs were Jeno’s favorites, so despite bringing flowers every day he came, Lilacs were reserved for special occasions. Holidays, his birthday, or the day that should have been the happiest day of their lives. 

With shaking hands, he carefully removed the roses from the flower vases on both sides of the grave. He placed them off to the side, where they would stay until the grounds keeper disposed of them because Jaemin just didn’t have the heart to do it. 

Once the roses were removed, he gingerly placed the lilacs in the vases and let more of the tears fall, watering the flowers cut at the stems. 

“I miss you so much Flower! I wish you had told me about your sickness and let me help you. I wish I had realized it before it was too late. But now you’re gone, and there’s nothing I can do to bring you back,” he spoke, shoulders beginning to shake as the tears flowed heavier. 

“If you would have waited thirty more minutes we wouldn’t be here!! You would be my husband! We’d be living happily together! I was going to propose you idiot! Why did you have to leave me?!” Jaemin’s voice raised in volume as tears racked his body.

His hands cupped around his face as he sobbed loud and noisily, tears dropping onto the soil beneath his feet. 

“All I want to do is hug you or kiss you one more time. Just once more,” he mumbled into his hands as his sobs quieted. 

He sat there for about an hour, not saying anything, just sitting on his knees, letting the breeze ruffle his hair as tears continued flowing silently now down his cheeks. He had so much to say, but his words would never be heard by the ears he longed to whisper into again. 

After a while, Jaemin took a long, shaky breath and reached into his pocket. 

“I’ve been holding onto this since the day you… died… I keep meaning to give it to you. It’s yours after all, or at least meant for you. I just… I haven’t been able to part with it. But I can’t keep it any longer,” he spoke, voice wavering as a few more tears fell. 

He opened up the velvet box to expose the ring that hadn’t been touched since that fateful day. 

“I love you my Flower. I always have and I always will. And even though you're gone now, I will always view you as my only true love. I hope that, had you still been alive, you would have said yes,” he continued, voice quieting to a whisper. 

Carefully, he plucked the ring from the velvet box and dug his hand into the soft grass. Moving slowly, he dug a hole with his fingers right over where Jeno’s heart would be in the dirt. Once the hole was deep enough it wouldn’t be exposed by the lawnmower, he placed the silver-banded engagement ring into the dirt. 

Working carefully, he moved the dirt he’d dug up back over the ring and patted it down to seal it into the ground forever with his love. 

“My Flower… Will you marry me?”

**Alternative Ending**

“... Anorexia?” Jaemin repeated back, his mouth forming the word, but his brain being unable to process the meaning. 

“It would appear that Mr. Lee has been suffering from anorexia for a very long time. Well over a year at least. He seems to have been eating just enough to get by, but his body was severely deprived of the nutrients it needed. It would appear that lately he’d been eating even less and it resulted in him fainting. Under normal circumstances, giving him an IV with sugar water and a psych consult would have gotten him back to health. However, with the severity of the eating disorder and the head trauma, this is not a normal circumstance,” the doctor explained, standing in front of Jaemin in the waiting room. 

Jaemin’s parents stood on either side of their son, both of their faces etched with worry. 

“What are you saying?” Jaemin sniffled. 

“He doesn’t need to be left alone. We were able to get enough nutrients into him, this time, but next time, he won’t be so lucky. He’ll be signed up for rehabilitation classes and counseling sessions, but it’s his choice to go or not. Someone is going to have to get him to go,” the doctor said. 

Jaemin felt the weight on his heart lesson. Jeno was going to be ok… This time at least. 

“Can I see him?” Jaemin asked timidly. 

The doctor nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. 

“He’s weak, but he’s awake,” he said. 

Jaemin nodded, a stray tear falling down his cheek as he followed the doctor down a few hallways until he stopped at a closed door and gestured for Jaemin to enter. Jaemin walked through the door shakily. He closed it gently behind him and moved further into the room. When he laid eyes on Jeno, his heart broke, but pieced itself together when Jeno smiled. 

“Hey Jaemin…” Jeno’s voice was weak. 

Jaemin gave him a watery smile. 

“Hey Flower… are you alright?” he asked. 

Jeno gave a weak smile but nodded as Jaemin moved around the hospital bed and took a seat. 

“Then… HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME YOU WEREN’T EATING?!”

_ One Year Later _

Jaemin stood proudly at the alter on the private beach his parents had rented out. He was dressed in an expensive black suit with a flower pinned to the coat’s breast pocket. His hands were folded neatly in front of him. 

“Breathe Jaemin,” his mother’s whispered voice came, forcing Jaemin to realize he hadn’t inhaled in several seconds and was close to passing out. 

He took a deep breath, chest rising and falling as he did so, seconds before the music from the organ began playing. His heart stopped. 

The audience in little white chairs stood up as the tent at the end of the walkway of flowers opened and Jeno, dressed in a white suit sprang forth, a bouquet of lilacs tucked in his hands. 

Slowly, the male made his way down the aisle until he reached Jaemin. Jaemin kept his eyes locked on the taller man, his heart beginning to race. 

When Jeno reached the altar, Jaemin took hold of his hands gently and the man standing in front of them facing the crowd cleared his throat. 

“Jaemin and Jeno have decided that, although marriage is not legal in Korea, they would like to hold this ceremony as a symbol of their love for one another and for their relationship deeper than dating. Is there anyone against this joining of hands?” the man asked. 

Jaemin didn’t care to look out on the crowd. Their opinions didn’t matter as long as he and his Flower were happy. 

When no one responded, the man went on. 

“Hearing no objections, may anyone with ill will toward these two men forever hold their peace.”

Jaemin smiled softly at Jeno before looking up as the ring he would place on Jeno’s finger was placed in his hand by his mother. 

“Na Jaemin. Do you take Lee Jeno to be your unlawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, as long as you both shall live?”

“I do.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment to let me know if you enjoyed or some things you would change!~


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